[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985) › c5.20 # The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c5.20 The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c5.20 - **Language:** English ### [c5.20](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5.20) Perhaps the effect of change can nowhere be seen in a clearer way than in the sociopolitical sphere; at least it is best documented there.¹⁹ As a convenient starting point we may take the traditional empire, such as that of the Mughals.²⁰ This, like other traditional empires, was a rambling collection of smaller and bigger local centers enjoying various degrees of power and influence over their surroundings and continually competing with each other for local or regional predominance. For a long time, by far the biggest center was the Mughal power situated in the strategic Delhi-Agra area. But for all its power and prestige, it was in fact no more than one power, albeit a preponderant one, among others. In order to realize its claims, it had continually to ally itself with the local powers, which, of course, expected more than merely immaterial benefits for their cooperation. In other words, the empire lacked the independent power and resources fully to realize its claims, and the price for the necessary cooperation of the local powers further weakened the imperial resources. In order to strengthen its resource base, the empire had to resort to conquest and expansion. But these also required substantial initial investments for obtaining the necessary support, and it has been shown that with the conquest of the Deccan in the second half of the seventeenth century, when the empire reached its greatest expansion, the cost of conquest became so heavy as to be fatal. Conquest meant a cumbersome process of winning over the holders of local influence by distributing imperial resources, including crown lands, before any benefit could be reaped. Thus the empire, though never actually overthrown, naturally and irrevocably shriveled again into a local sphere of influence, or “little kingdom,” at the mercy of the new would-be empire builders such as the Marathas, the Afghans, and eventually the British. - [Previous: c5.19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5.19) - [Next: c5.21](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5.21) - [Up: c5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5.20](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.heesterman-1985.c5.20) · Pramāṇa